Now where were we? Oh yeah - the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...

What is the problem with a Benedictine?(asking from sheer ignorance)What are the desired qualities for the next "Bishop of Rome" besides an Orthodox/Eastward facing heart?I've been reading all kinds of stufff that makes it sound like a horserace and a few more serious articles thathave actually seriously discussed candidates and their qualifications. It sounded like the late Pope was a surpirzimgchoice when he was elected. Do the cardinals actually make this a matter of prayer or is it just politics?Desertrose

Cardinal Lustiger has a sort of magnetism on him that could prove him fitting for a Pope. Not to mention that, when asked whether he is likely to be a Pope, he answered: "Me? Never!".Also, it seems that if the "Gloria De Olivae" motto is true, then he suits the motto. He is the "glory of the Olives", where the Olive used to symbolise the Jews from the ancient times. Cardinal Lustiger was born a Jew in religion (and Polish-Jew nationality), and converted to Catholicism during his teens.The Catholic Church is also in a crumbling state in Western Europe, it's traditional place: A Cardinal from France (he changed his name from Aaron to Jean-Marie, and lived in France since his early years, and he became Archbishop of France) would be an excellent choice in order to do that.

Also, I checked about Malachy's prophecy: First of all, Petrus Romanus is a later addition, so we don't take him into consideration. Most Catholic prophecies speak of a Pope who will be forced to free Rome, and in doing so will have to step over the bodies of his cardinals, and this has not happened yet, so if it's about to happen, it will happen now (taking into consideration this is the last Pope, according to Malachy).But Catholic prophecies also speak that God will raise a holy Pope, who will be protected by Angels.And there are prophecies from both Churches (EO, RC) which speak of a united Catholic Church. Lately, elder Paissios of Agion Oros said that the Churches will unite, once the bad wolves are away and only the good shepherds are left in the Church.

So, my conclusion: if Malachy's prophecies are true, he saw Roman Catholic Popes. St. Benedict (4th-5th century), in his prophecy that the last Pope will be a Benedictine, saw a Patriarch of Rome of the United Church with the title of Pope.This sums up why I believe this is not the last Pope, and that therefore this Pope will not be necessarily a Benedictine, but rather the last Roman Catholic Pope. The last Pope will be a Benedictine, but he will not be a RC Pope, but rather the Pope of the United Church. St. Benedict saw the last Pope of a United Church, and St. Malachy, as a roman Catholic bishop, saw the last Pope of the RC Church.

And all this is based on the fact that the Catholic prophesies are true. If even one is not, the whole plan of what the prophecies mean begins to crumble.

Though I do believe that such an explanation is rather happier than just saying "Gloria De Olivae" is the last.

I don't know about anyone esle here, but I'm all poped out for a while. Think I'll just wait and see.

I don't have cable and try to stick to watching either Frontline or the Jim Lehrer News Hour on occasion. I sometimes admit to watching America's Funniest Videos. I have netflix, but my kids get most of the benefit. I use that to get documentaries and old classics they don't carry at the local video store. Well, *I* think they're classics. At any rate, none of them involve pope picking or michael jackson watching.

I understand from an informed Vatican observer that Cardinal Lustiger has severe problems with his vocal chords, rendering him unable to speak and, thus, making him an unlikely successor to Pope John Paul.

Many years,

Neil

Logged

"Not only is it unnecessary to adopt the customs of the Latin Rite to manifest one's Catholicism, it is an offense against the unity of the Church."